Wall Street Journal editor Jason Riley slammed the NAACP for taking Donald Sterling’s donations despite the Clippers owner’s widely-known issues with African Americans in the past, claiming money is “what’s most important to them” and that the broader civil rights movement “has become an industry.”

Riley spoke with WSJ’s Mary Kissel on the paper’s online Opinion Journal about Sterling’s privately-recorded remarks, in which he asks his girlfriend not to associate with African Americans or bring them to his basketball games.

The NAACP was set to present Sterling with his second lifetime achievement award before the comments surfaced. Despite well-reported anti-discrimination lawsuits filed against Sterling, the civil rights group has taken money from the man for an alleged 15 to 20 years.

“I don’t think these comments are as surprising as the NAACP claims they are,” Riley remarked, noting Sterling’ has “been brought to court repeatedly for discriminating against blacks and Hispanics.”

“This is another example of how the civil rights movement has become an industry,” he explained. “You have groups like the NAACP, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, others, who basically go around the country shaking down corporations and individuals for money.”

“This man gave them money, and that’s what is most important to them,” he accused. “They claim to represent the interests of low-income, poor, underprivileged blacks. But this is more about lining their own pockets.”

Riley also dismissed President Obama’s comments on Sterling’s remarks. “I thought what he said was fine,” he said, but “if people are looking to this president for racial unity, I think they should look elsewhere.”

“This is a man who a couple weeks ago was up in Harlem with the aforementioned Al Sharpton,” Riley noted. “When you pal around with Al Sharpton, you are not into racial unity.”

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Muslin Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! is an interesting, informative, and for the politically correct and infuriating read. Islam, Muslims, immigration, Jihad, Sharia, and the war against our civilization, culture, and creed is a present reality. Gutless public officials are selling us short either by complicity with the enemy or due to a doctrinaire commitment to idiotic tolerance ideology. Whatever the case, citizens must stand up against the invasion now before it is to late. The author suggests that the fuse is burning and the results will end in a complete upheaval of America and every free nation, unless we act now. Forget the lame stream media. Forget Obama. Common sense mandates, our very survival demands that we act NOW to keep America from going off the cliff; This book promises to be a life changing read.

Posting Policy

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse. Read More

Help keep the Wire live! BarbWire is not NPR or PBS. We Receive no government assistance.

Question: "Is my donation tax-deductable?"

Answer: Heck no! We don't want the government telling us what we can and can't say! Do you?